Cirenduojie
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Having watched his father make paper at home over many years, he gradually learned the craft, and over the course of several years he taught ten apprentices in succession. Within the regional tradition and school record of Tibetan Papermaking Craftsmanship in Tibet: The Tibetan paper-making craft has formed, across various parts of Tibet, a pattern of multiple types developing together; eastern Tibet abounds in Kang paper, and southern Tibet in Jindong paper, Tabu paper, and others. Tibetan paper uses as main raw materials wolf's-bane (Stellera chamaejasme), agarwood, the cornus-family's dengtai tree, and the rhododendron-family's wild-tea-flower tree; according to the differences in raw-material quality, various kinds of Tibetan paper of different uses and grades can be made. The Lhasa Caiquan Welfare Ethnic Handicraft Co., Ltd. is the project's protecting unit. Since the time of Princess Wencheng's marriage far away to Tibet in the Tang dynasty, the introduction of Central-Plains paper-making to Tibet has a history of over thirteen hundred years. Since the 8th century, to meet the need of sutra translation, the Tibetan people continuously learned from and borrowed the advanced paper-making techniques of neighboring peoples, used local materials, and produced Tibetan paper with distinct local characteristics. The Tibetan paper-making industry was not only fully spread throughout the Tibetan region but also introduced to countries such as India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Born in April 1950 in Nyemo County, Tibet Autonomous Region, he is of Tibetan ethnicity. He is a national representative bearer of Tibetan Papermaking Craftsmanship, a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He is a Tibetan papermaking technician. Nyemo Tibetan paper has a long history; historical records trace it back to the mid-seventh century, and it has been handed down from generation to generation, mostly within families. He can make five or six kinds of paper with different patterns, and five kinds of paper for different uses, such as ordinary writing paper, drawing paper, lampshades, packaging boxes and repair paper. For many years he has made great efforts to ensure that Tibetan papermaking is better transmitted. Within the documented technical tradition of Tibetan Papermaking Craftsmanship in Tibet: Tibetan paper uses as main raw materials wolf's-bane (Stellera chamaejasme), agarwood, the cornus-family's dengtai tree (torchwood), and the rhododendron-family's wild-tea-flower tree; according to the differences in raw-material quality, various kinds of Tibetan paper of different uses and grades can be made. The paper-making process generally includes steps such as bark-removal, chopping and pounding, steaming and boiling, retting, rinsing, pounding the material, beating the pulp, and sheet-forming. With social and historical development, the Tibetan paper-making craft formed a pattern of multiple types developing together. The eastern Tibetan region abounds in Kang paper; southern Tibet abounds in Jindong paper, Tabu paper, Gongbo paper, Bodui paper, and Men paper (paper of the Lhoba and Monpa areas); the Ü-Tsang region abounds in Ni paper, Zang paper, Nie paper (Nyalam paper), Mengga paper, ash paper, and Ali paper, among others. The improvement and spread of paper-making technology brought forth successive renowned masters in the Tibetan paper industry, who created many finely crafted famous papers, such as Jindong paper—produced in Tabu's Jindong and renowned throughout Tibet—and the toxic paper of Nimu County, suited for stored documents. Many specially surface-finished paper products are even more remarkable to the world: for instance, the fine Tibetan paper used to print banknotes and postage stamps, and the exquisitely crafted paper for the Golden-ink and Silver-ink editions of the Tibetan Buddhist canon are conspicuous examples. Because the plateau is dry and oxygen-poor and the raw material is somewhat toxic, Tibetan paper has the properties of anti-corrosion, anti-moth, and anti-dampness, and is easy to preserve long-term; its texture is relatively supple and resilient, durable over time, and its colors are rich and varied, with decorative beauty. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Five local plants": Daphne, agarwood, Clerodendrum and wild camellia give papers of different grades; the Daphne bark must be soaked long before it can be worked. "Kang, Jindong and Tabu papers": Eastern Tibet makes kang paper and the south makes Jindong and Tabu, each with its own weight, mould marks and customary uses. "Eight stages from bark to sheet": Stripping, beating, boiling, retting, washing, pulping and moulding on a bamboo screen — whose marks remain in the finished sheet.
Five local plants
Daphne, agarwood, Clerodendrum and wild camellia give papers of different grades; the Daphne bark must be soaked long before it can be worked.
Kang, Jindong and Tabu papers
Eastern Tibet makes kang paper and the south makes Jindong and Tabu, each with its own weight, mould marks and customary uses.
Eight stages from bark to sheet
Stripping, beating, boiling, retting, washing, pulping and moulding on a bamboo screen — whose marks remain in the finished sheet.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2009, Cirenduojie was announced in the third batch of national representative bearers for Tibetan Papermaking Craftsmanship, with Tibet as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Tibetan Papermaking Craftsmanship in Tibet: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Tibet as its declared area, and Lasa Caiquanfuli Ethnic Shougongye Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Since the time of Princess Wencheng's marriage far away to Tibet in the Tang dynasty, the introduction of Central-Plains paper-making to Tibet has a history of over thirteen hundred years. Since the 8th century, to meet the need of sutra translation, the Tibetan people continuously learned from and borrowed the advanced paper-making techniques of neighboring peoples, used local materials, and produced Tibetan paper with distinct local characteristics.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cirenduojie | Tibet | 03-1332 | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。